After beating Jacksonville 23-13 on Sunday, Denver added insult to injury by signing developmental edge-rushing outside linebacker Aaron Patrick off the Jaguars’ practice squad on Thursday.
Patrick went undrafted in 2020 out of Eastern Kentucky, where he totaled 27.5 sacks over his career and earned First Team FCS All-American honors during his final year in 2019. He joined the Jaguars practice squad last December and signed a futures contract in January.
He was waived during final cuts following the 2021 preseason, but was brought back just a few days later to rejoin the practice squad. Now, Patrick will be on an active, 53-man roster for the first time.
This move makes a good deal of sense for Denver, who lost starting edge rusher, Bradley Chubb, to an injury on Sunday. He was placed on the injured reserve and is expected to be out six to eight weeks. In Patrick, the Broncos add a depth guy to the active roster who could potentially develop into something more.
Jacksonville hasn’t yet made a move to replace Patrick on the practice squad, but it’s possible that one could be imminent. Veteran tight end Trey Burton (who Urban Meyer recruited to Florida and coached) has a pending workout with the Jags in the wake of James O’Shaughnessy being placed on the injured reserve.
If the Jags choose to bring in Burton, he would very likely be heading to the practice squad as Jacksonville still has three tight ends on the active roster. Burton is a free agent who most recently played with the Indianapolis Colts during the 2020 season.
